


House Rules

by sevenofspade



Category: Ancient History RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 21:21:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4537809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevenofspade/pseuds/sevenofspade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Game night is more interesting than Scipio first thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	House Rules

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the "High School / College AU" square of my genprompt_bingo card. This is mostly gen, but not entirely.
> 
> Max is a grown-up version of Max from the Kid Paddle BD series.

It started with Ephesus. 

It had been Gaius' idea to go the gaming club because Gaius apparently believed Scipio needed more friends. Scipio had friends, but not compared to Gaius. They'd been at college for a month and Gaius was already as close to almost everyone as if he'd known them for ten years. Scipio had no idea how he did it.

Anyway, Scipio and Gaius had gone to the gaming club and now Gaius had been claimed by another of the rugby players for the last Mysterium free spot, which left Scipio all alone and dithering like an idiot. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.

"Hey," someone said.

Scipio turned. The speaker had short brown hair and was wearing a toga.

"You know to play 7wonders?"

"Yes?" Scipio said.

"You don't sound too convinced." A shrug. "Anyway, I'm off, so you can take my place as Giza."

"Give me the toga!" That was the girl dressed all in black with purple hair. To Scipio, she added, "I'm Max, by the way. Whoever wins the last round gets to wear the toga."

"Okay," Scipio said. It wasn't the silliest house rule he'd ever heard of and it did sound like fun. He sat down in the empty chair in front of the Giza plate and the toga whooshed over his head to get caught by Max.

"Here." A hand pushed Scipio his three coins. "Compliments of the central bank of Ephesus." The person the end belonged to was indeed seated behind the Ephesus plate, a green cloth bag that Scipio supposed was the bank besides him. He had a ribbon wrapped around his head, holding back curly hair and making him look like he'd stepped straight out of antiquity, like a statue of a Greek god made animate. Hermes, Scipio thought, definitely Hermes, with a grin that mischievous.

"Thanks."

Before Scipio could ask his name -- or that of anyone else --, Max said "and we're playing!"

It'd been a while since Scipio hade last played, so he lost the first round by a wide margin. Then Ephesus became Rhodes, took off his ribbon and gave it to Max. Max lost the toga to Alexandria, Scipio got Halicarnassus and off they went again.

"The tiny eagles are tricky to get," Formerly-Ephesus said, his hand in the red bag, digging around for the last one to give to Scipio.

"I like them. I think they're cute," Scipio said.

Currently-Rhodes smiled at him -- Scipio almost felt himself blushing -- and said, "Looks like they like you back. Here it is."

Scipio took the token and dealt the second age cards.

Scipio didn't win this round, but he didn't lose, either. On the third round, he was Ephesus and so wore the ribbon around his head. He felt like a complete tool, with his hair that wouldn't stay back properly.

Olympia-who-had-been-Rhodes-and-before-that-Ephesus said, "I like it. I think it makes you look like a tiny eagle."

Scipio stopped fussing with his hair and blinked. Had Not-Ephesus just called him cute?

This time, Scipio won. It was partly luck, but he ended the round with a staggering twenty-one points in coin. He took the toga that was handed to him and draped it over himself.

"Looks like he beat your record, Hannibal," said Max.

"So he did," Ephesus -- Hannibal -- said. He looked at Scipio, eyes slightly narrowed. The force of his gaze was such that Scipio felt like a sample under a microscope for a moment, but then the moment passed and Hannibal was smiling. "It's good to finally have a worthy opponent."

Max choked on her drink.

Hannibal hit her between the shoulders. "Present company excepted, of course."

"Thank _you_ ," Max said.

Gaius tapped Scipio on the shoulder.

"I have to go," Scipio said. "Thanks for the game."

"We don't have time for another game anyway," said Max. "We have to give the room back at ten. Also, toga."

"Let him keep it," Hannibal said. "It'll give him a reason to come back."

"I'll be sure to do so." Scipio took off the toga. He folded it and walked out carrying it.

They were barely out of the room when Gaius said, "I think he likes you."

"Gaius!" Scipio said, because what if someone heard? He calmed himself. It wouldn't be a problem here like it would be back home. "You think so?"

"I said so, didn't I?"

"So you did. What should I do about it?" 

Gaius startled and his face pulled into a frown. Then he seemed to remember he was the only person Scipio had ever came out to and said, "Man, for a moment there I thought you were freaking out about gay cooties. I'm no expert on dating dudes, but I figure it depends on if you like him back."

The silence stretched on until Scipio realised Gaius was waiting for an answer. He nodded.

"Then you ask him out," Gaius said, like it was that simple.

"What if he's the one who freaks out about gay cooties?"

"Dude, he likes you," Gaius said. "But if he does freak out, I'll punch his face in for you. Deal?"  
"Deal."

It turned out to be a bit of a moot point a few moments later. Gaius' phone buzzed, Gaius asked if he could take the call and Scipio nodded. 

Gaius picked up. "Gaius."

Scipio didn't pay much attention to Gaius' phone conversation -- they were already roommates, he knew way too much about Gaius' private life already -- until Gaius said, "Hey, Scipio. Are you single? Asking for a friend of a friend."

"I haven't asked Hannibal out while you were on the phone, so yes, I'm still single," Scipio said.  
"Awesome," Gaius said. "Now's your chance. Hey, Maharbal, put him on."

Scipio didn't have time to wonder about the seeming non-sequitur before Gaius shoved the phone in his ear.

"Hello?" Scipio said.

"Is this Toga Boy?" Hannibal's voice asked.

"My name's Scipio."

"I take it that's a yes."

"It is," Scipio said. Beside him, Gaius was mouthing 'do the thing! Do the thing!' at him insistently. Scipio hesitated, so when he spoke, Hannibal was slightly faster than him and their words crashed into each other.

"Do you want to go out sometime?"

"I take it that's a yes," Scipio said, trying his best not to grin like the lovesick fool he felt like and not having much success. He tried not to feel ridiculous about mirroring Hannibal's earlier phrasing and had slightly more success with that.

"It is," Hannibal said and behind him Scipio heard someone shout 'get him, tiger'. It sounded like Max.

"Told you," Gaius said and punched Scipio in the shoulder.


End file.
